- 01 August, 2026
KIGALI, Rwanda, August 1, 2026: More than 300 Catholic media professionals, journalists, filmmakers and digital communicators from over 100 countries will gather in Kigali from August 3 to 8 for the SIGNIS World Congress 2026, marking the first time the global Catholic communications gathering is being hosted in Africa.
Organised by SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication, the congress will be held at the Sainte Famille Hotel under the theme, “Digital Communication for Communion, Equity, Environmental Wellbeing.”
The gathering will provide Catholic communicators from across the world an opportunity to exchange experiences, explore emerging challenges in media and digital communication, and strengthen collaboration in using communication as a means of fostering communion, justice and peace.
India will be represented by media professionals from different parts of the country, led by Fr Victor Lobo, National President of SIGNIS India.
The four-day programme will feature plenary sessions and panel discussions addressing major questions confronting communication in the contemporary world. Among the themes to be explored are synodality as a model for peaceful coexistence and social development; digital communication for communion and harmony; religious and cultural praxis in the digital age; and The Pentecost Project and Wisdom Calls, which examines ways professional communicators and women religious can collaborate to amplify the voices of religious sisters in the public sphere.
More than a dozen women religious are scheduled to participate as keynote speakers and panellists, highlighting the growing contribution of women religious to media ministry, evangelisation and social transformation.
The congress will begin with Holy Mass at St Michael’s Cathedral, celebrated by Cardinal Antoine Kambanda, Archbishop of Kigali, with clergy from different parts of the world concelebrating.
Beyond the conference sessions, delegates will have opportunities for prayer, reflection and cultural immersion through visits to the Kigali Genocide Memorial and the natural surroundings of Kigali, as well as a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Kibeho, one of Rwanda’s significant Catholic pilgrimage sites.
Preparations for the international gathering have included arrangements for accommodation, transportation and delegate welfare. Volunteers will be stationed at Kigali International Airport and at key junctions across the city to assist arriving participants. They will be identifiable by the official SIGNIS World Congress T-shirts released on August 1.
Daniel Mugabonake, Permanent Secretary of the SIGNIS World Congress Kigali 2026, said the preparations had been marked by collaboration and a shared commitment to welcoming the international SIGNIS community.
“As the SIGNIS World Congress Kigali 2026 draws near, we are grateful for the remarkable journey that has brought us to this moment,” he said. “The preparation process has been intensive and demanding, but it has also been marked by strong collaboration, generosity, and a shared commitment to making this Congress a memorable experience for participants from around the world.”
He added that Rwanda was ready to welcome the global SIGNIS family and showcase the country's hospitality, faith and spirit of excellence.
SIGNIS brings together Catholic media professionals working in television, radio, cinema, journalism, the internet and media education in more than 100 countries. The association promotes communication that advances human dignity, justice and peace and seeks to strengthen the Church’s presence and mission in the rapidly changing media environment.
The Kigali congress is expected to provide a significant platform for Catholic communicators to reflect on how digital media can move beyond information-sharing to become an instrument of communion, dialogue, social inclusion and care for creation.
By Sr. Molly Fernandes SFN
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